Meadobrook fire quickly extinguished

A small fire in DeSabla Wednesday was held to less than a half-acre. But it gave residents in the area quite a show.

From Skyway, smoke billowed out of the forest near DeSabla reservoir in the Meadowbrook Ranch area.

But getting to the fire from the road proved to be difficult.

"The aircraft got there first," said CAL Fire Spokeswoman Mary Anne Aldrich. "There was difficulty in finding a good access point. Once the engines got there, we cancelled all but one."

The fire prompted the normal wild land response with air attack, two tankers a helicopter and four engines, she said.

That the fire was basically across the street from the DeSabla reservoir made water drops quick and easy.

There were several people at the reservoir fishing and hanging out with their families.

In the midst of this, a CAL Fire helicopter dipped a 300-gallon water bucket in the reservoir then flew across the street for the drop. It took about 10 minutes before the chopper would come back for more water. Spectators stood by, watched the action and took pictures. The chopper made about 15 drops before the fire was contained.